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Monday, August 15, 2016

Let us follow her... who follows Him...

In
1950, Pope Pius XII defined Mary's Assumption into heaven as a dogma of Roman
Catholicism: "the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having
completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into
heaven." The proclamation of this dogma was made in the
encyclical: Munificentissimus Deus. After entering heaven, Mary has
remained active in the life of the Church.

Assumption of
the Blessed Virgin
Mary

Solemnity
~ August
15

"Today,she who "belongs to Christ"
by a unique, abiding, and unrepeatable privilege, the most holy Theotokos
andever-virgin Mary, follows where He
has gone,"through the greater and more
perfect tent not made by human hands, that is, not of this creation . . . into
the Holy Place" (Heb 9:11). Today the sacred and living ark of the living
God, who conceived her Creator Himself, takes up her abode in
the temple of God."
~ St
John Damascene

"And now death came; not indeed
clothed in mourning and grief, as it does to others, butadorned with light
and gladness.But what do we say? Why speak of
death? Let us rather say that divine love came, and cut the thread of that noble
life. And as a light, before going out, gives a last and brighter flash than
ever, so did this beautiful creature, on hearing her Son's invitation to follow
him, wrapped in the flames of love, and in the midst of her loving sighs, give a
last sigh of still more ardent love, and breathing forth her soul, expired. Thus
was that great soul, that beautiful dove of the Lord, loosened from the bands of
this life; thus did she enter into the glory of the blessed, where she is now
seated, and will be seated, Queen of Paradise, for all eternity."-
St Alphonsus de Liguori

"The Solemnity of
the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the oldest Marian Feast, returns
every year in the heart of summer. It is an opportunity to rise with Mary to the
heights of the spirit where one breathes the pure air of supernatural life and
contemplates the most authentic beauty, the beauty of holiness. The atmosphere
of today’s celebration is steeped in paschal joy.“Today”, the antiphon of
the Magnificat says, “the Virgin Mary was taken up to Heaven. Rejoice, for
she reigns with Christ for ever. Alleluia”. This proclamation speaks to us
of an event that is utterly unique and extraordinary, yet destined to fill the
heart of every human being with hope and happiness.

Mary is indeed the first
fruit of the new humanity, the creature in whom the mystery of
Christ – his Incarnation, death, Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven – has
already fully taken effect, redeeming her from death and conveying her, body and
soul, to the Kingdom of immortal life.

For
this reason, as the Second Vatican Council recalls, the Virgin Mary is a
sign of certain hope and comfort to us (cf. Lumen Gentium, n. 68).
Today's feast impels us to lift our gaze to Heaven; not to a heaven consisting
of abstract ideas or even an imaginary heaven created by art, but the Heaven of
true reality which is God Himself. God is Heaven. He is our destination, the
destination and the eternal dwelling place from which we come and for which we
are
striving."

Why: A
Message of Hope in response to the spiritual crisis in our culture and nation
and to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops call to
prayer.What: Pray
the rosary for 54 days for the Novena Intentions

27 days in petition from
August 15 thru September 10, 2016

27 days
in thanksgiving from September 11 thru October 7,
2016

Where: At
home, individually or with families, or in a parish community or other
groups